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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. drill — army training
  9. dip — to sink
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — a face
  13. pass — a permit
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. march — the month
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mug — a cup
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com